


Extra Pillow

by szczepter



Series: Team Free Dads [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Family Dynamics, Fluff, Gen, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 10:03:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szczepter/pseuds/szczepter
Summary: “Sam.” Jack answered awkwardly. “Sorry.”“What are you doing at-“ Sam paused and turned to look at his electric clock. “Two in the morning?”





	Extra Pillow

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by Sam's extra pillow in 15x03. 
> 
> takes place post series where Jack is fully human but with a restored soul and he lives with TFW in the bunker :)

Sam woke up to the soft shuffling behind his bedroom door.

His first instinct was to grab the gun on his nightstand even before his eyes opened and in three seconds, he was by his door listening.

There was another soft sound, like a sniffle and then something that sounded like bare feet on the tile floor.

Sam, now completely awake lowered his gun and opened the door just as Jack was about to turn around and leave.

“Um.” The boy blinked at him, hair a mess and eyes oddly haunted.

“Jack?” Sam asked, squinting his eyes from the artificial light in the hallway.

“Sam.” Jack answered awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“What are you doing at-“ Sam paused and turned to look at his electric clock. “Two in the morning?”

“Bathroom.” He mumbled. Sam might have been sleepy but he was awake enough to know that the bathroom was _nowhere_ near on the way to his room.

Jack’s face colored and he looked away when he realized Sam didn’t buy it.

Sam regarded the boy for a moment longer, before he exhaled.

“Come on.” He said and nudged him into his room.

He gestured to his bed and Jack sat awkwardly while Sam disappeared down the hallway for a brief moment and then returned with a glass of water.

Jack took it without a word and drank the whole thing in one go.

Sam was patiently waiting for him to finish and tell him what was wrong but he had a suspicion that he already knew the nature of Jack’s distress.

Jack finished his water and set it on Sam’s desk.

He hesitated for a moment longer, not knowing if he should stay or leave in this moment.

Sam shook his head and pushed Jack gently back on the bed, sitting him down. He draped the covers over his legs.

“Sam?” Jack asked suddenly and when Sam glanced at him, he looked very small and very ashamed.

“Yeah, a moment.” He said and went to his closet to pull something out of it.

“Just getting an extra pillow.”

Jack nodded and watched Sam walk around the bed and lift the covers and slip under them with a tired and relieved sigh.

“I’m sorry I woke you.” Jack blurted out and Sam waved him off.

“It’s fine. Lay down.”

Jack did and tried to get comfortable despite himself.

Sam could feel how stiff he was. He fought his own exhaustion and asked.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Jack glanced at him quickly from the corner of his eye.

“I don’t remember anything.”

Sam nodded.

“Do you get nightmares too?”

Sam smiled bitterly.

“All the time.”

“Oh.” Guilt reverberated in Jack’s voice and Sam mentally kicked himself.

“But not tonight.”

Jack nodded.

“I had them when I was your age too.”

Jack grinned a little.

“You mean four?”

Sam laughed.

“Then too. And I didn’t like how big the motel bed was.” He paused for a moment. “So, me and Dean would sleep together often when we were kids. He had his own nightmares too, but since he was the big brother he would try and put on the brave face for me.”

“Sounds like him.” Jack said softly into the night air.

“Yeah.”

“Do you still do it now?”

That pulled a surprised laugh out of Sam.

“What?” Jack asked confused but also intrigued and amused at the same time.

“I don’t think it would be possible now.” Sam said shaking with laughter. “We’re not exactly, um. _Compact_.”

“Oh. Right.” Jack said with a chuckle.

“And besides. Dean is Dean.” Sam said as if that explain everything.

“You mean emotionally constipated and against showing physical affection?”

Sam snorted.

“You hit that nail on the head kid.”

Jack laughed for a moment longer, and Sam could feel how the tension melted from him. He risked pulling the covers over more over Jack and rubbed his arm.

“I’m sorry.” Jack said again and Sam frowned.

“I said it was okay for waking me up.”

“I know, but I should be able to deal with it on my own. Like you and Dean do.”

Sam snorted.

“You’re _four_ Jack. If you’re scared it’s okay to ask for comfort.”

Jack hummed in the darkness.

“And it’s not like we deal alone.”

Jack was silent for a longer moment and Sam thought he feel asleep, but then the boy turned and buried his face in Sam’s worn out cotton shirt that he used for sleeping.

Sam patted his back comfortingly and after they mumbled their goodnights Jack was out in a manner of moments.

Sam listened to the boy breathe in his sleep and waited for it to claim himself soon.

But he couldn’t sleep for the next hour.

Not because it was uncomfortable, or Jack did something to disturb his sleep. His mind was sharp and alert suddenly, thoughts zeroing on the boy in his arms, acutely aware of every sound in the bunker and the gun under his pillow.

He knew the bunker was secure and there was no imminent danger they could face from their latest hunts, but his reflexes suddenly sharpened just because of Jack’s proximity.

Around four A.M Sam was finally able to fall asleep, and he woke up way past his normal schedule. Jack was up and about for at least two hours already, looking rested and healthy, munching on that over sugared cereal Dean would always buy for both of them.

After Jack left the kitchen to get dressed, Sam risked telling Dean about last night and the overly heightened senses of protectiveness. It felt odd, but he wanted to share it with someone.

Jack might have been human but he was still a hunter, capable of taking care of himself and Sam felt like he was overstepping some boundaries by babying him too much.

But he was also a child and scared of a nightmare and came to Sam for comfort.

Dean listed to him, sipping on his coffee with a sort of curious, sort of judgmental expression that Sam really hated because it was annoying and he didn’t know what he did to deserve it.

When Sam was finished, he set down his cup on the table and smirked at his brother.

“What?” Sam asked exasperated.

“Now, you know.”

Sam gave him a confused look.

“What it’s _like_.” Dean explained, stressing the last word with a pointed look. Sam was taken a back for a moment, some kind of heavy emotion settling over him.

Dean stood up from the table and left his cup in the sink.

On his way out of the kitchen he clapped his hand heavily on Sam’s shoulder before he gave him a firm squeeze.

Sam shook his head and sighed under his breath.

**Author's Note:**

> helno spn fandom. I have been a fan for 10 years (with a break but shh) and this is my first EVER spn fic lol. Also first actual fic since like January so I'm super rusty orz. 
> 
> Something about Jack woke my muse. sob i love this baby. 
> 
> Also this has been done to death with the bed sharing but whatever.


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